Several times a week we still get mail for Teresa. Some of it is junk mail and some of it is still doctor bills.
At first it kind of bothered me, but I know it is going to continue to happen. Whatever.
Today's mail has me puzzled ... more than usual. I'll get to it in a minute.
For those who didn't know, Teresa kept her previous married name -- Clift -- because she didn't want to cause confusion for her daughter, Cassie, as she went through school. Her plan was to change her name to Anderson once Cassie graduated from high school, which she did in 2010.
By that time, though, Teresa was in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. She never got it done for obvious reasons. I kept Clift in her obituary and headstone because I know that is what most people knew her by. Again, I wanted to avoid confusion. It was also still her legal name.
Before Clift, her maiden name was Poindexter. And yes, she was teased about it.
If she was with us today, you can bet I would be teasing her now. In the mail today came one of those prepaid debit card offers from TurboTax in the name of ... Tanisha Poindexter. That's right, Tanisha Poindexter.
I have no idea how this happened or why it happened. I'm tempted to call the 800 number on the offer to get an explanation. Of course, it would do me no good and likely I would eventually get an offer in the mail myself for Ricardo Poindexter or something like that.
I suppose Tanisha could sound like Teresa over the phone, but she hadn't gone by Poindexter in over 20 years. Did Teresa talk to them at some point? I guess it could have happened when she was in the hospital last year in Denver, but she was discharged in early December.
Maybe there was a Tanisha Poindexter living at this address before Teresa bought the house in in the early 1990s, although I really doubt it. That would be too weird.
I'll probably never really know, unless Tanisha Poindexter gets more mail here.
Then I will have to know.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Looking stylish on the job
First of all, I have no right to criticize, but I will at least make fun of. I'm pretty good at both.
While I am on my laptop in my living room continuously staring at the job boards, I notice a lawn care truck pull up across the street. Two young female workers bounce out of the truck and one is dancing. Evidently they were grooving to a tune as they pulled up.
It's still fairly cool out, in the low 50s. Both are bundled up in sweats and baseball caps. They're both wearing basketball shorts. How do I know they are wearing basketball shorts underneath their sweats? On cue, both pull down their sweats below their, uh, drearier, like the cool kids do these days.
Their job evidently is to spray the dandelions, which are beginning to pop up like ... dandelions.
It probably takes them less than five minutes to do their job in this very small front yard.
On cue, as they finish up and get ready to get back in their truck, they pull their pants back up. Evidently it is more difficult to drive with your pants down. Of course, I wouldn't know. Maybe I'll try it some day.
As it turned out, both spent more time making sure they looked right than they did with their actual job. Well, let me clarify. All I can see now is the driver. I'm guessing the other worker did the same.
Nevertheless, the driver takes her cap off and fixes her hair while looking in the outside mirror. She then puts her cap back on, looks in the mirror, then takes it off again. The hair wasn't quite right. It takes a while, but she gets it right, sticking her head out of the window and looking in the mirror ... four more times.
She pulls the hoodie up over her cap, sticks her head out of the window and looks in the mirror.
She puts her sunglasses back on, sticks her head out of the window and looks in the mirror.
They take off. At least she looked in the mirror before pulling out into traffic. Well, I think it was because she was pulling out into traffic. It could have been just to see how she looked as she was pulling out into traffic.
Once they drove off, I mumbled to myself, "At least they have a job."
While I am on my laptop in my living room continuously staring at the job boards, I notice a lawn care truck pull up across the street. Two young female workers bounce out of the truck and one is dancing. Evidently they were grooving to a tune as they pulled up.
It's still fairly cool out, in the low 50s. Both are bundled up in sweats and baseball caps. They're both wearing basketball shorts. How do I know they are wearing basketball shorts underneath their sweats? On cue, both pull down their sweats below their, uh, drearier, like the cool kids do these days.
Their job evidently is to spray the dandelions, which are beginning to pop up like ... dandelions.
It probably takes them less than five minutes to do their job in this very small front yard.
On cue, as they finish up and get ready to get back in their truck, they pull their pants back up. Evidently it is more difficult to drive with your pants down. Of course, I wouldn't know. Maybe I'll try it some day.
As it turned out, both spent more time making sure they looked right than they did with their actual job. Well, let me clarify. All I can see now is the driver. I'm guessing the other worker did the same.
Nevertheless, the driver takes her cap off and fixes her hair while looking in the outside mirror. She then puts her cap back on, looks in the mirror, then takes it off again. The hair wasn't quite right. It takes a while, but she gets it right, sticking her head out of the window and looking in the mirror ... four more times.
She pulls the hoodie up over her cap, sticks her head out of the window and looks in the mirror.
She puts her sunglasses back on, sticks her head out of the window and looks in the mirror.
They take off. At least she looked in the mirror before pulling out into traffic. Well, I think it was because she was pulling out into traffic. It could have been just to see how she looked as she was pulling out into traffic.
Once they drove off, I mumbled to myself, "At least they have a job."
Friday, May 18, 2012
Just a sucker for hometowns
Let's see, "home is where the heart is, you can never go home," or "home away from home."
What else can I say about home? That'll probably do it.
I recently mentioned on Facebook and to my family that during a visit to my hometown of Hot Springs, S.D., I felt the Black Hills pulling me back.
Walking my dog at Butler Park, I was surrounded by the beauty of the Hills. I thought to myself, "who wouldn't want to live here?"
I guess you can count yours truly as one who couldn't wait to get out of their hometown as a kid. For the most part, I think most of us felt that way, whether we stayed or left.
Now 30-some years later, you look around and realize that your hometown isn't just a bunch of houses with nothing to do. It's a pretty spectacular place. Funny how that happens.
What else can I say about home? That'll probably do it.
I recently mentioned on Facebook and to my family that during a visit to my hometown of Hot Springs, S.D., I felt the Black Hills pulling me back.
Walking my dog at Butler Park, I was surrounded by the beauty of the Hills. I thought to myself, "who wouldn't want to live here?"
I guess you can count yours truly as one who couldn't wait to get out of their hometown as a kid. For the most part, I think most of us felt that way, whether we stayed or left.
Now 30-some years later, you look around and realize that your hometown isn't just a bunch of houses with nothing to do. It's a pretty spectacular place. Funny how that happens.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Once a Cowgirl, always a Cowgirl
It didn't take me long to know what I wanted to put on Teresa's headstone when making final arrangements after she passed away on Jan. 12.
In June 2011, Bob Hammond wrote a column on Teresa's health struggles and tied in her love of the University of Wyoming sports programs, especially women's basketball, and her attempts to get back to cheering for her Cowgirls.
As many of you know, Teresa (Poindexter) is a former Cowgirls basketball player, competing for Wyoming from 1984-87. She graduated with a nursing degree from UW in 1989 and spent many years as a nurse at Ivinson Memorial Hospital and later at the Cathedral Home for Children.
In that column, Hammond wrote, "Once a Cowgirl, always a Cowgirl."
This past season, when it appeared that Teresa was going to be able to come home after a 15-month stay in various hospitals, we talked about her being able to go to a Cowgirls game, likely near the end of the season as it would give her time to recover and be able to sustain the physical aspect of attending a game. Teresa's injuries and illnesses caused her to be a paraplegic.
In a conversation with head coach Joe Legerski, who coached Teresa for one season as a young assistant under Chad Lavin, we talked about Teresa attending a game. Legerski said that when we thought that would be possible, they wanted to do something special for her. He closed the conversation by saying, "Once a Cowgirl, always a Cowgirl."
Unfortunately, we weren't able to fulfill Teresa's wish and after 10 great days at home, Teresa returned to the hospital again and later passed away.
Teresa left a legacy as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a caregiver. Even to the end, she was always thinking of others.
Teresa came back to Laramie twice in her life. It was her home. She loved everything about Laramie, the state and the University of Wyoming.
"Once a Cowgirl, always a Cowgirl."
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